EdTechTeacher

Who We Are

Our primary team consists of our two Co-Directors, Senior Associate, Instructional Trainer & Presenter, and Community Relations Director, as well as a fantastic team of contributors.

Tom Daccord, Director

Tom Daccord is an educational technology speaker, instructor, and writer who has worked with schools, districts, colleges and educational organizations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Author of Best Ideas for Teaching with Technology: A Practical Guide for Teachers by Teachers and The Best of History Web Sites, Tom has presented on educational technology topics at national and international conferences, including ISTE (U.S.), ELMLE (Europe), and ICTLT (Asia). He has produced a series of online courses on Web 2.0 and iPad integration, as well as 21st century school leadership and classroom assessment. A former social studies teacher who instructed in a laptop classroom for seven years, Tom has been featured in the Boston Globe for his contributions to teaching with technology and invited to Singapore by the Ministry of Education as an “Outstanding Educator in Residence.” In addition to leading EdTechTeacher, Tom currently serves as President of the National Council of Social Studies Technology Committee and was a featured speaker at the 2010 NCSS Conference. Tom is also an advisor to Massachusetts Computer Users in Education (MassCUE), and the Massachusetts Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (MASCD), and serves as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) project consultant. He is the creator of Best History Web Sites, an award-winning portal, and The Center for Teaching History with Technology, dedicated to helping K-12 history and social studies teachers effectively incorporate technology into their courses. Tom also created Teaching English with Technology, designed to guide K-12 English and Language Arts teachers in their use of technology in the classroom. A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Montreal, Tom has taught in Quebec, France, Switzerland, and the United States.

Justin Reich, Co-Founder

Justin Reich is the co-founder of EdTechTeacher and an educational researcher. He is the project manager of the Distributed Collaborative Learning Communities Project, a Hewlett Foundation funded initiative to examine how Web 2.0 tools are used in K-12 settings to develop 21st century skills. Justin's research includes both a nation-wide ethnographic study of classrooms using networked technologies as well as a large-scale quantitative study of over 200,000 wiki learning environments. Justin is the author of Best Ideas for Teaching with Technology: A Practical Guide for Teachers by Teachers, and his academic work has been published in Educational Researcher, Social Education, Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, and other venues. His opinion writings have been published in the Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, The Providence Journal, and other publications. He has been an Outstanding Educator in Residence for the Academy of Singapore Teachers, a Digital Media and Learning Summer Fellow with the MacArthur Foundation, and is among the 2012 class of Emerging Leaders for the International Society for Technology in Education. He also blogs for Education Week at EdTechResearcher.

Beth Holland, Senior Associate

Beth Holland joined the EdTechTeacher team in July 2011 to expand the online course offerings, instruct at workshops, and bring expertise in elementary education as well as working with assistive technologies to the team. In addition to working with participants, Beth has also increased the amount of content in our Teaching with Technology section of the web site - including the new iPad section, and presented at the 2011 Global Education Conference as well as the EdTechTeacher Winter Conference. In the coming months, she will be presenting at the Massachusetts Assistive Technology Expo as well as the Massachusetts Teacher's Association Summer Conference. Bringing over 12 years of education experience, she most recently served as the Director of Academic Technology at St. Michael's Country Day School in Newport, Rhode Island. During her tenure at St. Michael's, she implemented professional development programs to encourage faculty members to integrate technology into their elementary and middle school curricula, designed interdisciplinary, technology-rich projects, taught students in grades 2-8 during technology classes, coordinated with the Student Services Director to facilitate the integration of assistive technologies to support students, and helped to design their iPad pilot program. Before St. Michael's, Beth worked as a researcher at the Naval War College in the Innovation Lab where she designed knowledge management plans to support blended communication environments and researched the potential to create an online environment to streamline training and education which she presented at I/ITSEC. She has also taught 9th grade English at the Rocky HIll School in East Greenwich, RI, and led adventure learning programs for ActionQuest in the Caribbean and Polynesia. Beth holds an Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a B.S. in Communications from Northwestern University.

Greg Kulowiec, Instructional Trainer & Presenter

Greg Kulowiec brings eight years of teaching experience as a Social Studies teacher and Technology Integration Specialist to EdTechTeacher. An award-winning history teacher who was recognized by the Massachusetts Council for the Social Studies with the Aieta Promising Teacher Award in 2009, Greg’s expertise and influence in technology integration has grown to a national level. As a co-creator of #sschat on twitter, Greg has been featured in both the New York Times and the Washington Post regarding the impact of social media with educators. While in the classroom, Greg was a proponent of expanding the audience of his student’s work by having them publish text, audio and video online. His student’s video projects exploring the protests of the Arab Spring were featured on WBUR’s “Here and Now” program in 2011. Greg has also been an early adopter of iPads in the classroom. Student projects integrating iPads have included a student created digital math textbook, iPad podcasting, paperless iPad research and iPad screencasting across the curriculum. Greg presents at regional and national conferences on his teaching strategies and technology integration ideas including MassCue, The National Council for the Social Studies, The New England 1:1 Summitt, EdTechTeacher Winter Conference and multiple EdCamps. Greg has been at the forefront of integrating cell phones into the classroom and has been featured on Public Radio International’s, “The World Technology Podcast” in 2009 and contributed to the 2009 ISTE Fall Newsletter, both about cell phones in the classroom.

Gail Ross-McBride, Senior Associate

Gail Ross-McBride has been a leader and administrator in the field of educator professional development and educational technology training for over 25 years. Gail has worked collaboratively with teachers, curriculum designers, school administrators, school committee members and higher education officials to help bring about a common vision of what is necessary to improve student learning in the 21st century. She coordinated Teacher and Administrator Licensure programs, Science Institutes, Year-long Professional development, as well as a High School Internship program. Gail provided leadership to train teachers to start the TEC Online Academy and has supported educators by writing grants to fund professional development and programs. Examples of her success are visible through her efforts in acquiring over $5 million in grants such as Teaching American History, technology and assistive technology, as well as educational programming for special needs students. Along with these accomplishments, Gail also received the Pathfinders Award from MASSCUE. A graduate of Boston University and Lesley University, Gail taught in Weymouth and Cambridge. She had the honor of being the first vendor coordinator for MASSCUE and also held offices on the Board including Vice President.

Our Team of Contributors

In addition to Tom Daccord, Justin Reich, Beth Holland and Greg Kuloweic, we bring in some of the most talented educators that we can find to assist with workshops, webinars, and presentations. 

Carla Beard is a veteran English teacher and educational technology specialist for the state of Indiana who has presented at conventions and workshops nationally. Carla is creator and webmaster of the award-winning Web English Teacher, a popular web portal that presents the best of K-12 English/Language Arts teaching resources: lesson plans, WebQuests, videos, biography, e-texts, criticism, classroom activities and more. She has written and presented extensively on technology in the English/Language Arts curriculum, including a National Council of Teachers of English presentation entitled "Technology and English/Language Arts." In 2004 Carla was named to the Educator Advisory Board of AOL@School and has also served as National Teacher Advisor for Cable in the Classroom. She has also evaluated National Endowment for the Humanities grant applications in technology. Currently the English Department Chair at Connersville High School in Indiana, Ms. Beard has converted all English/Language Arts classrooms at her school to computer classrooms and regularly leads in-service sessions on using technology effectively.

Suzy Brooks has been a teacher in Falmouth, Massachusetts since receiving her graduate degree from Lesley University in 1999. Her uniqueness as a 3rd grade teacher lies in that which inspires her: computers, connections, and community service. A licensed Instructional Technology Specialist and a Girl Scout for 35 years, Suzy strives to make strong, positive connections with her students, their families, and her colleagues. It is through these relationships that she has found the encouragement to share her knowledge and enthusiasm for all things technical. Over the past few years, Suzy has been invited to present at MASSCUE conferences and symposiums, EdTechTeacher's Summer Workshop Series, Cache the Wave Summer programming, and dozens of workshops within her district. Workshop participants leave her sessions with a sharp focus on students and an inspired attitude towards technology. Regionally recognized as a teacher leader, Suzy was honored with the 2011 MassCUE Pathfinder Award, is a FableVision Ambassador and Discovery Educator Network STAR. Additionally, she serves on the Massachusetts ASCD Board of Directors, and the Discovery Education Leadership Council. Visit her classroom blog at http://blogs.falmouth.k12.ma.us/simplysuzy

Richard Byrne is best known in the educational technology community for his award-winning blog Free Technology for Teachers. On a daily basis, Richard’s blog reaches a subscriber base of more than 42,000 educators. In addition to writing Free Technology for Teachers, he writes a monthly column for School Library Journal, is a contributing author to What School Leaders Need to Know About Digital Technologies and Social Media, has written for Teacher Librarian, and recently launched Android 4 Schools. Richard has presented at conferences and schools across North America, as his work is focused on sharing free web-based resources that educators can use to enhance their students’ learning experiences. Richard became a Google Certified Teacher in 2009, and in 2010, he was the runner-up for ACTEM’s (Association of Computer Teachers and Educators in Maine) educator of the year award. Tech & Learning Magazine named Richard one of their “people to watch” in their 100@30 30th Anniversary celebration (http://techlearning.com/article/26660). A high school social studies teacher for eight years before becoming a full-time writer and speaker, Richard stays involved in the classroom by teaching evening courses on a part-time basis. Richard lives and works in the greater Portland, Maine area.

Angela Cunningham (@kyteacher on Twitter) is a 10-year social studies educator in Kentucky who will serve as an assistant instructor in the June workshop.

Douglas Kiang is a technology integration specialist with over 15 years of teaching experience at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. He holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature from Tufts University and a Master's Degree in Technology in Education from Harvard. In 2007 he was one of two Massachusetts teachers to be honored as an Apple Distinguished Educator, recognizing his innovative work with iPods in the middle school curriculum. Currently, Douglas is a Technology Resource Teacher at Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Erin McCloskey is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a graduate of the Learning and Teaching program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE). At HGSE she researched online teacher professional development, focusing on the relationship between technologically-mediated learning and intercultural learning. Her dissertation is a qualitative investigation of how a internationally diverse group of English-as-a-Foreign-Language teachers, in the context of an online professional development course, develop their intercultural competence and build capacity to foster similar skills in their classrooms. Erin received the University’s prestigious Presidential Fellowship upon admission into the doctoral program. She has taught professional development courses about sheltered instruction for ELLs through the School for International Training in Brattleboro, VT; served as an advisor to pre-service secondary school teachers in the Boston Public Schools through the HGSE Teacher Education Program; advised HGSE faculty on the incorporation of technology in instruction; and served as a teaching fellow for several HGSE courses in the Technology, Innovation and Education program, including Teaching for Understanding with New Technologies, Emerging Educational Technologies, and Engagement and Motivation: Technologies that Invite and Immerse. She is the principal consultant on a project to develop online courses for Costa Rican Spanish-literacy teachers, in collaboration with Costa Rica’s leading distance university, La Universidad Estatal a Distancia, and Amigos del Aprendizaje, an NGO dedicated to promoting research-based literacy practices in Costa Rican public schools. Prior to doctoral studies, Erin was a high school Spanish teacher, EFL teacher, and language curriculum developer. She taught at two area independent high schools (Phillips Academy at Andover and Concord Academy), the public high school in Tyngsborough, MA, the Community Day Charter School in Lawrence, MA, and a public school outside of San José, Costa Rica, where she volunteered as an English teacher through the WorldTeach program. During her time at Concord Academy, Erin served as the Wilcox Fellow Mentor Teacher and was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to study Caribbean-American trans-migration at the University of Puerto Rico. Erin graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University, where she got her A.B. in Comparative Literature (Spanish/English), and she received her Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation and Education from Harvard University.

Alycia Scott-Hiser is Academic Technology Director at the Noble and Greenough School. A lifelong artist whose original interest in technology was as a tool for making art, Ms. Scott-Hiser has been teaching media classes at both the high school and college level, starting in the early 90s when Adobe Photoshop and other digital imaging tools were brand new. For four years she developed and taught a variety of technology classes at a one-to-one laptop school in Boston. This experience broadened her interest in academic technology across the curriculum. During her years at Nobles she has facilitated various collaborative, content-based, multimedia projects by leveraging student interest and student facility with emerging technologies.

David Strasburger is Science Department Head, Physics Teacher, and Faculty Evaluation Member at the Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts. Winner of the Vernon L. Greene award for Faculty Excellence, David has a long interest in thoughtful integration of technology into the classroom and on the delicate interface between new, constantly-evolving tools and a teacher's instructional style and goals. He has presented at several educational technology events, including the 2008 Teaching with New and Emerging Technologies Conference. A 20-year veteran teacher, David has taught biology, astronomy, and geometry in addition to Physics.